| Waynesville sewer bond vote turnout remains low as 7 p.m. deadline nears |
By: Darrell Todd Maurina
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Posted: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 6:49 pm
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Waynesville poll workers Charlas Bales and Georgia Tuckness wait for voters to arrive at the Waynesville Middle School polling place.
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WAYNESVILLE, Mo. (June 2, 2009) — There are less than 30 minutes left to vote on the Waynesville sewer board election, and according to poll worker Waita Karcher, most of the 930 ballots printed for the election remain unused.
So far, 175 people have voted.
That’s a shame, according to poll worker Charlas Bales, who said she’s been a poll worker for more than a decade.
“I’d like for people to come to vote — it’s their right,” Bales said. “If they don’t vote, they can’t gripe.”
Today’s election will decide whether Waynesville city officials can apply to take out up to $6.5 million in reduced-interest state revolving fund loans, partly funded by President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package.
Only one polling place will be open at Waynesville Middle School. The precinct opened at 6 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. The vote requires a simple majority of 50 percent.
While most similar bond votes are intended to raise taxes to pay for a loan, city officials have emphasized that the vote won’t raise taxes. In fact, according to city council members, the vote will prevent the city from needing to seek higher interest commercial financing for sewer and water projects that they expect will soon be required by federal regulatory agencies. The current interest rate from the state revolving fund is about 2 percent compared to 5 to 6 percent interest from conventional commercial financing, with an expected savings in interest of more than $2 million over the life of the loan.
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